What's for Thanksgiving?

TURKEY! That's what's for Thanksgiving! :) Here's what I'm using as a guideline for roasting our Turkey breast:

• 1  (10-to-12 pound turkey) turkey
• 1/4 cup(s) fresh herbs, plus 20 whole sprigs, such as thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano and/or marjoram, divided
• 2 tablespoon(s) canola oil
• 1 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
• Aromatics: , onion, apple, lemon and/or orange, cut into 2-inch pieces (1 1/2 cups)
• 3 cup(s) water, plus more as needed

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Directions

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 475°F.
2. Remove giblets and neck from turkey cavities and reserve for making gravy. Place the turkey, breast-side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan; pat dry with paper towels. Mix minced herbs, oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the herb mixture all over the turkey, under the skin and onto the breast meat. Place aromatics and 10 of the herb sprigs in the cavity. Tuck the wing tips under the turkey. Tie the legs together with kitchen string. Add 3 cups water and the remaining 10 herb sprigs to the pan.
3. Roast the turkey until the skin is golden brown, 45 minutes. Remove the turkey from the oven. If using a remote digital thermometer, insert it into the deepest part of the thigh, close to the joint. Cover the breast with a double layer of foil, cutting as necessary to conform to the breast. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and continue roasting for 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 hours more. If the pan dries out, tilt the turkey to let juices run out of the cavity into the pan and add 1 cup water. The turkey is done when the thermometer (or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone) registers 165°F.
4. Transfer the turkey to a serving platter and cover with foil. (If you're making Herbed Pan Gravy, start here.) Let the turkey rest for 20 minutes. Remove string and carve. 

Except obviously I am not doing a whole bird. So my plan of action is to make the herb/olive oil rub. And then place the Turkey in my pan. I don't have a roaster pan, so this might get interesting. I'm thinking I'll use a generic 9 x 13 pan, and then cover it all with tin foil. But anyway, in the pan I'll place the lemon, apple, and onion. I'll probably only use half of each thing. And then I'll place some sprigs of herbs around and under and probably on it. It's going to be herby! :) I bought some turkey broth that I'll probably use instead of water, just for added flavor, and again, i'll be using less than the 3 cups listed here. Cover it all with tin foil and roast for a while, then i'll uncover it and let it brown up for the last half of the cooking. I think it should go well.


As for the whole day to get in my cooking, here is my Plan of Action to get it all done:


-Tonight after work: Brad is picking up Turkey Breast from the butcher. We'll have to find some space in our fridge. Tear up half of the bread to dry out (for stuffing)
-Wednesday after work: Bake pumpkin pie. Wash broccoli and let dry.
-Thursday am: break up rest of the bread, toss the salad (minus the dressing). Chill beverage.
-Thursday afternoon (around 2ish): prepare turkey, and prepare stuffing, put turkey in at 2:30 (we want to eat around 5:30 or 6). The Turkey Breast will be 6-8 lbs (not sure yet!), so I figured 2.5 hours to cook. Is that correct? Put in stuffing (separate pan) in around 30 minutes before Turkey comes out.
-Thursday evening: prepare and boil potatoes/parsnips, prepare broccoli and put in oven 15 minutes before turkey comes out, mash potatoes, put it all in serving dishes.


We shall see how it all goes! :)

What's for Thanksgiving? 11/21/11

Thought I would share the recipe I will be using for my pumpkin pie this year. I thought I would break out of using the recipe off the back of a Libby's can. :) This recipe is in no way clean, but pumpkin pie is ok to eat on Thanksgiving, right! I would prefer to not use store bought pie crust as it has all sorts of icky additives, but I honestly do not have the time to make a pie crust nor am I that great at it. If I had a food processor, I might consider doing a no-roll type of crust. But, alas, i have no food processor.

Not my picture. :)

Ingredients:
1-15 ounce can pumpkin puree
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 -9 inch unbaked pie crust (I use Pillsburyt)
Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  In a medium bowl, mix pumpkin, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves until well combined.  Add eggs, evaporated milk, and heavy cream. Mix everything until completely smooth (about 3 minutes in my KitchenAid mixer on medium speed).  Pour pie filling into an unbaked deep dish pie shell.  Bake the pie for 15 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.  Bake for an additional 50-55 minutes until the center of the pie does not jiggle (loosely).  Allow the pie to cool on the counter and then chill it in the refrigerator before serving.  Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.


Sweetened Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla


Tomorrow I'll share how I'm going to do the Turkey as well as my plan of action to accomplish all of the cooking!

What's for Thanksgiving? 11/17/11

GOOD NEWS! I got a turkey breast! yay! Well, actually, I ordered it. I will pick it up on Tuesday of Thanksgiving week. I ordered it from a Butcher who sells all natural turkey. So that is going to be awesome. Except I've never cooked a fresh turkey breast. I'm assuming it won't be much different than cooking a thawed frozen one.

On to the recipe for today. Liz's Famous Broccoli (i've been cooking it this way since long before it went up on pinterest).

Not my picture. Came from pinterest. :)

What you'll need:
-Fresh broccoli florets (I will probably use two bunches for Turkey Day. chop them off the bunches. Wash and allow ample time to dry before cooking)
-Half of a lemon
-Olive Oil
-3 cloves of Garlic, chopped
-Salt
-Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 (or if you're like me, just put it in the oven with whatever else you're cooking and adjust cooking time. Lower the temp the longer the cooking time!).  In a large bowl with a lit, place the broccoli, 3-4 tbsp olive oil (or less if it will cover the broccoli), garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Put lid on top and shake it all up. Place on foil-lined cookie sheet (it helps crisp the broccoli up) and put in oven until the broccoli is crispy and just starting to brown (about 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees). Remove from oven and place in serving dish, squeeze the juice of 1/2 of a lemon over and mix to distribute throughout the dish. Serve hot.